A Fallen Snow
by Crimson Angel Sin
Summary: It is the Shichinintai's time and they are at their prime. Killing and maiming are just daily life for them, but when something interrupts that, just how far will they go to get it back? And can they retrieve it before the first snow?
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I do not own_ InuYasha_. I do own the OC who doesn't show up in the series._

_Crimson: **sighs** I just keep coming up with new ideas. . . ._

_Jakotsu: Stupid wench._

_Crimson: We're not going to get along at all, are we?_

_Jakotsu: If only big brother would let me kill you. . . ._

_Crimson: I'm so happy he's taken a liking to me. . .for some reason. . . ._

_Jakotsu: Hmph!_

_Crimson: READ ON!_

_Jakotsu: and review so this story can be over with as fast as possible!_

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**Prologue**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The last drops of blood splattered onto her pale cheek. She could just imagine the bright-red liquid shining morbidly in the moonlight as it dribbled down to her chin. Her hands felt a similar stickiness as they clutched the hilt of her blade. Her own ragged breathing buffeted her ears, sounding so loud in the sudden hush of the clearing. She suddenly pitched forward, body failing her as the exhaustion caught up with it. With a rush of adrenaline, she managed to catch herself by whipping out one of her legs. Now, she was kneeling on the ground, crouched over in the darkness. Her eyes still stung with the acid that one youkai had used in his attack, but she ignored the minor irritation. All she could focus on was breathing in and out slowly, quieting the shudders running through her arms and legs as best she could. Only one thought kept her from passing out altogether. Only one thought forced her to stand up and take a step forward. As she stumbled out of the gory battlefield, she repeated one simple sentence over and over again under her breath, strengthening her resolve with each utterance.

"Before the snow," she breathed through chapped, pale-blue lips. Determination flared up in her unseeing eyes. Her right hand clenched tightly around the object she held securely against the hilt of her weapon. "My butterfly. . . ."


	2. Clumsiness Befalls You

_Disclaimer: I do not own _InuYasha_. I do own the OC who showed up briefly in the first chapter._

_Crimson: Okay, so, just so you know, the prologue takes place _before_ Kagome ever comes through the well. These next several chapters take place _before_ the prologue, so, in other words, further back in the past. . . . That didn't make much sense. . . ._

_Bankotsu: I followed it. . .kinda._

_Crimson: Oh, hi, Ban-chan._

_Bankotsu: Ban-chan?_

_Crimson: I read it somewhere._

_Bankotsu: Whatever. So what is this story about?_

_Crimson: You guys! ^o^_

_Bankotsu: **smirks** Of course. You have a crush on Jakotsu, right?_

_Crimson: Don't you DARE tell him!_

_Bankotsu: It's gonna cost ya!_

_Crimson: O.o_

_Bankotsu: READ ON!_

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**Chapter One–**

**Clumsiness Befalls You**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

A young woman let out a shriek as she tumbled down the grassy hillside, having accidentally tripped over a raised tree root. Her midnight-black hair flowed around her skinny body as she went, its waist-long length threatening to choke her. It didn't let up until she landed face-down in ankle-deep grass at the bottom of the incline. "Ooowww," she groaned aloud, rolling onto her back when her head stopped spinning. Her body ached all over, bruised and battered. New scrapes and scratches had accumulated on her pale, alabaster skin from the most-recent fall, adding to the partially-healed, blood-encrusted ones already there. "You'd think I'd be a little less clumsy by now. . . ." Her dark-brown eyes glared half-heartedly up at the gray clouds filling the sky high above her. A drop of water hit her cheek suddenly, making her blink. It didn't take her long to realize what this was as another drop of moisture connected with the tip of her nose.

It was raining.

Craaap. . . .

Her ears twitched as her sharp hearing caught the sound of several pairs of footsteps headed in her direction. Ignoring the unfortunate turn of the weather, the girl honed in on this newest predicament. She lay very still on the ground, the sweet smell of the grass wafting into her nostrils as she strained to locate exactly how far away they were from her position. It didn't sound very far, but it wouldn't matter. The woods just a few yards away acted as a cover, so whoever it was walking through this part of the forest should not be able to spot her. She'd be able to get away before these travelers were even aware of her presence.

A spasm of intense pain shot up her left leg, provoking an audible gasp to escape her lips. She slapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Her reaction to the inferno in her lower limb had been heard. She could tell that by the simple movement amongst the trees as the traveling party swiftly changed course. Now they were headed directly _at_ her. Before their course would have taken them right _by_ her, but still well within the shelter of the shrubbery. And, unfortunately, her plans on making a hasty retreat had been foiled, as well, thanks to her apparently-broken leg. . . .

A murmur of voices started to reach her ears. She tried to ignore whatever it was they were talking about so she could come up with another plan. She soon found out that ignorance would prove utterly impossible as the topic of the conversation roused her curiosity.

"It smells like a woman, Big Brother!" a male's voice announced excitedly. This made the girl's skin crawl, immediately labeling this being as a pervert after one sentence.

"Tch! Can't we just leave it there and find a cave or something?" a much-more feminine figure spoke next. This tone held undisguised disgust and spite in it much to the displeasure of its secret audience.

"Now, don't be like that, Jakotsu!" another man spoke, but, this time, with a boyish accent. "My curiosity's been aroused. I'd like to know what a young maiden could possibly be doing this far out of any village."

The girl cocked her head at that little tidbit. Though it was the truth he spoke–not many ventured out this far, especially the women–it still sparked a question in her own mind. What were _they_ doing out in the middle of nowhere?

"Besides," the same one who had admonished Jakotsu spoke again. "She may prove _useful_. . . ."

The girl still lying prone on her back in the grass furrowed her brow in confusion at this. There was hidden meaning behind that last word; she just didn't know _what_. A rustling in the foliage blocking their view of her and vice-versa brought her back to reality with a sharp tug. She snapped her eyes shut, acting as if she were unconscious as the group of men (now that they were closer, she could tell there were seven of them) entered the miniature clearing. She forced her muscles to relax bit-by-bit, and allowed her breathing to even out and grow deeper as it would in sleep. Soon enough, she actually ended up drifting off into dreamland, lulled in by the combination of her acting skills and the fact that she hadn't had a decent night's rest for three days straight.

Before she had the chance to slip completely beneath the dark waves of unconsciousness, however, she heard that boyish voice once again.

"Well, damn. Looks like someone beat us to it."

And then she was out.


End file.
